Legislative Assembly · District of Gippsland East
Steve Goodman
Last verified 29 Sept 2026
Seat context — Gippsland East›
Gippsland East is Victoria's third-largest electorate by area (about 27,544 sq km), covering all of East Gippsland Shire and the northern part of Wellington Shire, including Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance, Orbost, Omeo, Maffra, Heyfield, Bruthen, Buchan, Cann River and Mallacoota. It sits in the Eastern Victoria Legislative Council region. The Country/National Party held it from 1920 to 1999, independent Craig Ingram from 1999 to 2010, and the Nationals' Tim Bull from 2010; in 2022 Bull won 63.3% of first preferences and 74.6% to 25.4% two-party-preferred over Labor. Bull announced in May 2026 that he will not recontest, so the seat is open. The 2026 field is five candidates: the Nationals' Gemma Rendell, Labor's Sonny Stephens, the Greens' Ash Munro, One Nation's Steve Goodman and the Victorian Socialists' Amy Espeseth. The Tally Room says One Nation will be hoping to win the seat.
Background
Platform
Where they stand, issue by issue — grounded in 2026 Victorian polling, not assumed. Every position is tagged with how we know it.
Cost-of-living relief, healthcare, road maintenance, crime and drugs, police numbers and less red tape.
Stresses "the need to listen and act for the people of Gippsland East".
What Victorians say matters most
5 poll-led issuesCost of living and crime have ranked 1st or 2nd in every Victorian poll since mid‑2025, with debt and housing close behind — see schema §3 for the polling this grouping is based on (DemosAU, Ipsos Issues Monitor, Roy Morgan). The 0-10 'priorityScore' on each candidate's issue entries is NOT a measure of true importance or an independent ranking of what a candidate actually cares about. It reflects how much detail and specificity exists in what that candidate has actually said publicly on that issue -- a named policy mechanism and a verified voting record score higher than a one-line stated priority, regardless of the issue's real-world weight. Render this distinction in the UI wherever the score appears; do not label it just 'Priority' without the qualifier.
Cost of living
Names cost-of-living crisis relief as his first priority.
The One Nation Victoria platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would remove insurance duty on premiums and end renewable subsidies.
Crime and community safety
Names crime reduction, drug issues and more police as priorities.
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would tighten bail and sentencing for repeat youth offenders.
Housing affordability and supply
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would ban foreign ownership of residential property; nothing is attributed to Goodman personally.
State government debt and fiscal management
Names reducing regulatory hurdles and red tape, and criticises wasteful spending on temporary road repairs.
Infrastructure and public transport delivery
Names road infrastructure and maintenance as a priority and criticises spending on temporary repairs.
Also on the record
6 substance issuesThese don't top “biggest issue” polling, but carry real 2026 policy weight and genuine differences between parties.
Education and training
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would establish elected school boards with a parent majority; nothing is attributed to Goodman personally.
Health and healthcare access
Names healthcare system improvements as a priority.
Urban planning and housing density
Not detailed in sources reviewed.
Climate and energy transition
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, opposes Net Zero by 2050; nothing is attributed to Goodman personally.
Treaty and First Nations affairs
The party platform, as summarised by the Australian Election Tracker, would oppose and repeal Victoria's Statewide Treaty framework; nothing is attributed to Goodman personally.
Regional and rural Victoria
Grew up on a family dairy farm and says the region needs someone who will "listen and act for the people of Gippsland East".
Local & party context
2 fieldsNot scored the way the eleven issues above are — these are fixed facts about the seat and the party, not positions with more or less emphasis behind them.
His themes sit within One Nation's statewide platform. SSelf-stated — ON-GOODMAN-PAGE, ET-ON-POLICYOne Nation Victoria, "Steve Goodman for Gippsland East"View sourceAustralian Election Tracker, "One Nation policy profile — 2026 Victorian election"View source
No point of divergence was found.
Track record & prior candidacies
His profile mentions no prior campaign. SSelf-stated — ON-GOODMAN-PAGEOne Nation Victoria, "Steve Goodman for Gippsland East"View source
He is not among the candidates in the 2018 or 2022 Gippsland East results. VVerified — WIKI-GE-RESWikipedia, "Electoral results for the district of Gippsland East"View source
Campaign, money & endorsements
Campaign logistics
Endorsements & Donations
Per the Victorian Electoral Commission's funding guidance (vec.vic.gov.au, accessed 2026-09-29 via search snippets of its independent-candidate and registered-party funding pages), a candidate is eligible for public election funding if they receive at least 4% of first-preference votes in their contest, or are elected. Funding is reimbursed against an audited statement of campaign expenditure, and advance funding must be repaid in full if the threshold is missed.
Goodman has not previously contested an election, so he has no funding entitlement from an earlier contest. One Nation did not field a Gippsland East candidate in 2018 or 2022.